Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people.^[1] An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for many aspects of life, such as plants as medicines, foods, intoxicants and clothing.^[2] Richard Evans Schultes, often referred to as the "father of ethnobotany",^[3] explained the discipline in this way:

Ethnobotany simply means investigating plants used by primitive societies in various parts of the world.^[4]

Since the time of Schultes, the field of ethnobotany has grown from simply acquiring ethnobotanical knowledge to that of applying it to a modern society, primarily in the form of pharmaceuticals.^[5] Intellectual property rights and benefit-sharing arrangements are important issues in ethnobotany.^[5]